Watch



R. H. ERARD Feb. l0, 1959 WATCH 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. l2, 1955 jnverrbf Eton! H- Emrd /wicaws $111151? R. H. ERARD l WATCH Feb. 10, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. l2, 1955 Wl b w In@ v1 .United States Patent O r`ce WATCH Raoul H. Erard, La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland Application August 12, 1955, Serial No. 528,006

6 Claims. (Cl. 58-67) This invention relates to watches in particular to a watch having a case comprising a case-band and a bottom made rin one piece, and in which the watch movement is set in the case from the side of the bezel thereof.

Setting the watch movement in a case of this typeusually called one-piece casecould till now only be f done by using a winding and setting stem in two pieces, one piece of this stern being carried by the movement and the other piece being carried by the case. Such a stern in two pieces has not only the drawback to be more expensive than a common stem in one piece, but it involves particular complications for setting the movement in the case. The coupling means provided on each part of the stem must indeed be maintained each in a particular position when setting the movement into the case in order to ensure correct coupling.

It is accordingly an object of this invention to improve the watches with cases of the type indicated so that setting the movement into a one-piece case may be carried out without requiring the use of a stem in two pieces. For this purpose the watch improved according to this invention comprises, on the one hand, a setting lever provided with a stud arranged for retaining the winding stem in place by plunging into a groove thereof, and an axle for pivoting the setting lever, said axle being engaged in a cylindrical bore of the watch movement frame from the dial side thereof, said bore being provided at the periphery of this frame; and, on the other hand, a piece fixed to the case and comprising a part surrounding the watch dial and located above the movement for retaining the setting lever axle in place in the watch movement frame, the dial thereby leaving uncovered such a portion of the movement that is suicient to enable lifting and axially moving the setting lever to such an extent that its stud is disengaged from the groove of the winding stem.

Further objects of the invention will appear in the course of the following description.

Three embodiments of the watch according to this invention are represented diagrammatically and by way of example in the drawings annexed to this specification and forming a part thereof.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a partial section of the irst embodi-ment,

Fig. 2 is a partial plan view of this first embodiment with the crystal in section and some parts broken away,

Figs. 3 and 4 are sectional views analogous to that of Fig. 1 and showing the second and third embodiment, respectively,

Fig. 5 is a partial sectional view, along line V-V of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 6 is a part sectional view along line VI--VI of Fig. 2.

In the first embodiment (Figs. l, 2, 5 and 6) of the watch improved according to the invention, the movement 1 is located in an one-piece case comprising a caseband 2 and a bottom 3 made in one piece. The caseband 2 is provided with a cylindrical rim 4 around which g 2,872,776 Patented Feb. 10, 1959 a cylindrical rim 5 of the crystal 6 is pressed radially by a ring 7 forming the bezel.

The movement 1 carries a dial 8 which does not cover the latter wholly. A certain part of the periphery of the movement 1 is actually uncovered by the dial.

A winding and setting stem 9, which is usual, i. e. in one piece, is axially retained in place by a setting lever 10, a stud 11 of which plunges into a groove 12 of the stem 9 (Fig. 5). The setting lever 10 does not pivot as usually around a screw fixed axially to the movement and arranged for being actuated from the bridge side thereof, but it pivots by means of an axle 13 screwed in the setting lever 10 and merely extending within a bore of movement 1 into which it is introduced from the dial side thereof.

The lever 10 can be set as usual in two different positions controlled by a setting lever spring 15 of which only one end is represented in Fig. 2, this spring being provided with two notches in which a stud 1S of the setting lever may be engaged so that both axial positions of the stem 9 for winding and setting the watch are well determined. It will be observed that the setting lever spring 14 passes above the end of the setting lever 10 and retains the latter in placeby preventing axle 13 from entirelydisengaging itself from the bore of movement 1. As shown in particular in Fig. 5, the dial 8 also prevents to some extent axle 13 from disengaging itself from the movement 1. The dial 8 and the setting lever spring 14 do not, however, prevent the lifting of the setting lever to a sufficient extent for disengaging its stud 11 from groove 12, thus freeing stem 1 from the movement 1. As shown also in Fig. 2, the setting lever 10 may be approached from the dial side of the movement, because the dial does not cover the whole movement.

The setting lever is axially held in place so that its stud 11 retains stem 9, by means of a ring 16 located within rim 5 of the crystal 6 and on which the latter bears axially by means of a shoulder 17. Ring 16 surrounds dial 8. It passes just above the end of axle 13 which is engaged in the setting lever iii, and its internal edge 18 axially bears on the movement 1 -thus maintaining it strongly in place on a shoulder 19 of the case-band 2.

For setting the movement 1 in its case, the stem 9 is disassembled from the movement and the latter introduced in the case (2, 3) so that it lies on shoulder 19.

The stem 9 is then set in place in the movement by pass` ing it through an opening of the case-band 2 while lifting the setting lever 10 for instance by means of tweezers, until stem 9 is adequately engaged in the movement 1, i. e. until its groove 12 is opposite stud 11 of the setting lever 10. The ring 16 can then be placed around the dial 8 and the crystal 6 engaged around rim 4 of the case-band 2 until its shoulder 17 bears against ring 16. The bezel 7 is eventually set in place by pressing it around rim 5 of crystal 6 until it bears against the case-band 2.

Besides its technical purpose, ring 16 may obviously also be used for aesthetical purposes. In this respect it can be provided with decorations engraved or drawn on its visible face. This ring 16 may even be provided with the horal divisions usually carried by the dial.

In order to avoid that the crystal has to support the whole weight of the movement, for instance in the case of an axial impact on the bottom 3, a fixing screw 20 may be provided at the periphery of the movement as shown in Figs. 2 and 6, so that it may be actuated when ring 16 is disassembled, by engaging a screw-driver between the dial 8 and the case-band 2.

Disassembling the movement 1 from the case 2 is performed like assembling, by following, however, the reverse Way. The bezel 7 is accordingly first separated from case-band 2, for instance by means of a knife blade,

3 Y then the crystal 6 and the ring 16 are disassembled, after which the setting lever i9 may be lifted and its stud 11 disengaged from the grove 12 of stem 9, andthe latter-removed froml the movement. The fixing screws 20 are eventually unlocked 4and the movement maybe removed from the case. t g The only diieren'ce between the second embodiment (Fig. 3`) and that which has just been described, consists in the fact that a rim 5a of the crystal 6 is not located around a cylindrical rim of the case, but within a lodging having a cylindrical wall against which the rim 5a of the crystal is pressed radially by a rim 2l of a ring 16a which is further analogous to ring i6 of the irst embodiment. Ring 16a and in particular its rim 2 functions like a tensioning or strengthening ring or crystal 6.

The watch improved according to this second embodiment obviously functions like that of the rst embodiment. In particular a shoulder 22 of crystal 6 enables disassembling .oftheV latter from the case when it is set in place in its lodging of case-band 2a. l

In the third embodiment (Fig. 4), a ring 1Gb is made in oneV piece with a bezel '7b engaged with snap tit around a rim lof case-band 2b. The crystal 6bl is merely carried by piece (7b, 16b) in an appropriate lodging thereof. The latter embodiment is particularly suitable for watches which are not waterproof,V whereas the irst two embodiments enable the manufacturing of a perfectly waterproof case.

, In these three embodiments the hands do not extend beyond the periphery of the dial so that any risk of being catched incidentally by the rings le, loa, i612, when assembling or disassembling the latter, is entirely avoided. That condition is, however, not necessary. A sweep sccond hand being the upmost hand, could very well move asma/s Y 4 i .f Y changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts could be resorted to without departing from the spirit f 'the invention or sacrificing theadvantages thereof.

f l claim:

l. In a watch, in combination, a one-piece case including 'a case-band and a bottom; a movementV frame having a periphery formedl with a cylindrical opening; a dial disc xed to and being of a smaller diameter than said'frame and partly covering'the latter, said opening being located beyond said disc; a Winding stem formed with a groove; a setting lever having a stud extending into said groove for retaining said winding stem in position and said setting lever having a pivot pin extending freely into said cylindrical opening at'the periphery of said movement frame, from the dial disc side thereof,

and serving as a pivot for said setting lever; and an annuclear piece removably fixed to said case, forming anextension of said dial disc, and having an inner part surrounding said dial disc and extending above said movement frame directly over said pin for retaining said pivot pin" axially in said opening of said movement frame, whereby said setting lever is not entirely covered by said dial'disc so that'after said annular piece is removed from said case said setting lever may be lifted to an extent which disengagessaid'stud from said groove.

2. The combination of claim l, a watch crystal 'having a cylindrical krim surrounding said annular piece, said annular piece being in the form of ra at ring.

3. The combination of claim 2, the rim of said crystal holding said ring radially in place, and said crystal being Y formed with an annular shoulder cooperating with said somewhat about ring 16. ln such a case the ring would be prevented from catching this hand by approaching or removing the ring traversally with respect to the case when assembling or disassembling this ring.

' Since in the usual watches a setting lever screw must be actuated from the bridge side of the movement for disengaging the setting Vlever from the winding stem thus enabling to remove the latter, the watch improved according to the invention is provided with means which enable the same functions of the setting lever, while approaching it, however, only from the dial side of the movement.

The main advantage of this improvement consists in the fact that such an improved movement may be set in a one-piece watchcase, without removable bottom, by introducing the movement from the crystal side without requiring therefore the use of a stem in two pieces as in the watches of this type known in the art.

g While three examples of the invention have been described hereabove, it is to be understood thatY various ring for retaining the latter axially in place, and an independent bezel pressing said crystal rim [around a rim of said case-band. Y Y

4. The combination of claim 2, said 'c'ase-bandbeing formed with an annular recess having a cylindrical' wall surrounding and against which said crystal rim is located, and said ilat ring pressing said crystal rim against said cylindrical wallrof said case-band.

5. The combination of claim l, a bezel; and a crystal carried by said bezel, said annular piece being connected with said crystal and bezel.

6. The combination of claim l, said annular piece xing said movement frame axially in ,said case.

References Cited in thel Ele of this patent y UNITED STATES PATENTS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE 0F CORRECTION Patent NO 29872,'.7'76 February lOy 1959 Raoul I-Io Erard ror appears in the printed specification ered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 4, lines l@ and l?, for "amulelearH read me annuler m,

Signed and sealed this 2nd day of June l959.,

SEAL Attest:

KARL IL AXLINE ROBERT C. WATSON Attesting Ofcer Commissioner of Patents UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE 0F CORRECTION Patent No., 23872,'7'76 February lO,q 1959 Raoul El Erard It is hereby certified that error of the above numbered patent requiring appears in the printed specification Patent should read as corrected below.

correction and that the said Letters Column 4, lines lo and l7, for Hanmlolear" read me annular L,

Signed and sealed this 2nd day of June 1959.,

ttest:

KARL H., AXLINE ROBERT C. WATSON Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents 

